1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bows and arrows and, more particularly, to an attachment to a bow especially adapted for launching arrows.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the sport of archery, conventional bows are often used with conventional arrows. With conventional arrows, the rear end of a conventional arrow is placed against the bow string, and the bow string is pulled back. The front end of the arrow slides against the bow until the arrow head is near the bow. Then the bow string is released, and the arrow is shot. To span the distance from the rear end of the arrow to the arrow head, conventional arrows must be a certain conventional length. Such conventional length arrows are relatively heavy and have an inherent limitation as to the distance they can travel without dropping in elevation. Often such conventional length arrows are approximately thirty-one inches long. A plurality of conventional length arrows weighs a certain weight that is relatively heavy and occupies a certain space that is relatively large. Therefore, in view of the above, it would be desirable to provide a bow and arrow combination that employed arrows that are shorter than conventional length. By using arrows that are shorter than conventional length, a person can readily carry more arrows along when engaging in archery. Moreover, arrows that are shorter that conventional length permit a greater travel distance without a drop in elevation.
It is conceivable that a person could attempt to employ an arrow that is shorter than conventional length with a conventional bow. If such were done, the bow string could not be pulled back far enough to provide an effective stretch of the bow and bow string to propel the shorter-than-conventional-length arrow effectively. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a bow and bow string that can be sufficiently stretched to effectively propel a shorter-than-conventional-length arrow.
There are currently many conventional bows which employ conventional length arrows in use. It would be desirable, therefore, to be able to readily convert a conventional bow into a novel bow that can be employed to launch shorter-than-conventional-length arrows.
A rear end of a conventional arrow generally includes a slot into which the bow string fits. Sometimes, however, there is a binding between the slot and the bow string, and the arrow does not cleanly release from the bow string. As a result, the arrow does not fly as far and as straight as desired. In this respect, it would be desirable if arrows can be provided which permit an arrow to be propelled by a bow string without employing a slot at the rear end of the arrow.
Generally, with a conventional arrow and a conventional bow, the rear end of the arrow is pinched between the index finger and the thumb, and the pinched arrow is pulled back in order to stretch the bow string. Such a pinching and pulling operation may be very tiring. Moreover, with such a pinching and pulling operation, it may be quite difficult for a person to muster sufficient pinching and pulling strength to pull the bow string back a suitable distance to provide a suitable tension in the bow string. In this respect, it would be desirable if the rear end of an arrow and the bow string could be pulled back without using a pinching and pulling action on the rear end of the arrow.
Throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to the sport of archery, and the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,924,841; 4,949,699; 5,081,980; 5,119,797; and 5,181,502. More specifically, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,924,841, 4,949,699, 5,081,980, and 5,181,502 disclose arrow guides mounted on bows. Conventional length arrows are used with such arrow guides.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,797 discloses a crossbow kit device that enables the use of shorter-than-conventional-length arrows. More specifically, a rigid, constant length track is provided for launching the shorter-than-conventional-length arrows. The rigid, constant length track takes up a considerable amount of linear space. Such space is inconvenient for storage purposes. In this respect, it would be desirable if a track for launching a shorter-than-conventional-length arrow had a relatively short length for storage purposes. Moreover, with this device a crossbow is employed. That is, the bow must be maintained in a horizontal orientation in order to operate satisfactorily. Crossbows are often deemed to be unwieldy because they must be maintained in their horizontal orientation. In this respect, it would be desirable a launching device for a shorter-than-conventional-length arrow were provided that could be employed with a vertically oriented bow.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use guides for conventional arrows, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a bow-attached, arrow launching apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) employs arrows that are shorter than conventional length; (2) provides a bow and bow string that can be sufficiently stretched to effectively propel a shorter-than-conventional-length arrow; (3) is able to readily convert a conventional bow into a novel bow that can be employed to launch shorter-than-conventional-length arrows; (4) provides arrows which permit the arrows to propelled by a bow string without employing a slot at the rear ends of the arrows; (5) permits pulling back the rear end of an arrow and the bow string without using a pinching and pulling action on the rear end of the arrow; (6) provides a track for launching a shorter-than-conventional-length arrow wherein the track has a relatively short length for storage purposes; and (7) provides a launching device for a shorter-than-conventional-length arrow that can be employed with a vertically oriented bow. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique bow-attached, arrow launching apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.